Bollywood Star Shuts Down Sexist Questions

This Bollywood Star Had The Perfect Response To A TV Host's Sexist Questions

Sunny Leone has plenty of claims to fame. The Canadian-born Bollywood star was the most-Googled person in India last year, and she's got an upcoming film, Mastizaade. But during a recent interview on CNN-IBN's talk show The Hot Seat, Leone's interviewer seemed more focused on her past as a porn star than on her Bollywood career.

Bhupendra Chaubey, who interviewed Leone for The Hot Seat, is facing criticism online from users who say he was misogynistic in the questions he chose to ask the actress. Chaubey asked Leone about any regrets she had, which many viewers thought suggested she should be ashamed of her time as a porn star, BBC News noted. Leone had a great answer, though — she told Chaubey she regretted not getting home fast enough to see her mother before her death.

Chaubey went on to suggest that India's consumption of porn had increased because Leone had become a public figure in India, BBC News noted, to which Leone responded that there wasn't a correlation between the two. And when Chaubey suggested that he was "morally corrupted" for interviewing her, Leone responded that she'd be happy to leave.

This isn't the first time Leone has faced controversy over her past. There have been campaigns urging her to leave India, BBC News notes. But in this case, it looks like public opinion is on her side.

Many Twitter and Facebook users expressed their displeasure with the interview, and Leone posted a Facebook video thanking fans for their support. She made it clear that she's not ashamed of the fact that she was a porn star — and she handled the interview, as well as the online response afterward, with grace.

Chaubey did ask her a few questions about her upcoming film, and he mentioned that many other people, too, wanted him to ask her about being a porn star during the interview. Still, the fact that such a large portion of the interview was devoted to Leone's past didn't sit well with her fans. Watch the full interview over at MSN and decide for yourself.

Refinery29 has reached out to CNN-IBN, a network run by Global Broadcast News and Turner International in India, for comment.